In first chapter of Enlightened
Sexism, “Get the Girls”, Douglas discusses
the shift in the early 1990’s from feminism to consumerism that redefined
notions of power among women.
Feminist activism had not disappeared from popular culture by the early
nineties, but it quickly became undermined when women were targeted as a “niche
market” for consumerist profits.
Douglas points to 1992 as “The Year of Women”, in which women were more
aware of their political power and influence. Unfortunately, Beverly Hills 90210 was on the rise and capturing the minds of
fantastical teens across the country.
Douglas believes that it was because of this petty-teenage drama that
enlightened sexism emerged. As
teenage girls sat around their TVs mesmerized by a leisure class so distant
from their own whose life was dependent on the glorification of beauty,
fashion, sexuality, and having the perfect boyfriend, enlightened sexism was
head to head with embedded feminism, warring over the new wave of consumerist
culture.
Although
there was some backlash to enlightened sexism, as expressed by the band Riot
Grrrl and the magazine Sassy—both of
which sought to positively and politically reclaim the term “girl”—enlightened
sexism continued to flourish throughout the nineties thanks to Beverly Hills
90210 and shows alike. The strong
female leads, such as Rosanne and Murphy Brown, that had gained popularity were
now dropping in ratings as the younger generation of “bitches” challenged their
power with higher ratings. This
unfortunate shift towards enlightened sexism in the media turned many previous
feminist gains upside down and continues to dominate our culture today.
Douglas’ second chapter,
“Castration Anxiety”, explains how a new ideological understanding of women in
power took root in the media, which put a politically active woman like
crime-fighter Janet Reno next to supermodel Cindy Crawford and essentially said
Crawford—the more beautiful and feminine woman of the two—is the one to
envy. Castration anxiety refers to
men’s rationale that woman were allowed to have some power as long as they did
not pose a threat to their own power.
Men did not want women to penetrate their spheres of influence, so
instead of favoring woman with actual real world power, they gave power to the
more beautiful and sexualized woman on screen.
A
prime example of castration anxiety that Douglas uses is the Amy Fisher
case. At age seventeen, Fisher
shot the wife of a man she met in an auto shop whom was also having an affair
with her. Fisher’s case blew up in
the media, particularly when it was discovered that she worked for an escort
service, turning the young girl into a poster child of feminism at its most
extreme. In a way, Fisher became
an iconic threat, warning Americans what a woman caught medaling with her power
could do.
“Warrior
Women in Thongs”—Douglas’ third chapter—revolves around a trend in the nineties
that tried to balance both strength and femininity/sexuality in a woman by
turning her into media warrior.
Shows, such as Xena: The Warrior Princess and Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, put women in a mythological realm where they could explore what it
was like to take on male characteristics while still maintaining what the media
suggested womanhood meant. Douglas
argues that these realms offered women a space for exploration that the real
world did not. However, although
Xena and Buffy reclaimed their power as women in these realms, they were also
conducive to the same stereotypes that existed outside of them. Xena might be able to kick butt in epic
battle scene, but she would still cry over romance and her sexuality was often
a source of trouble. Charlie’s
Angels: Full Throttle is another perfect
example, including not just one warrior woman, but three. The Angels were known for their combat
skills in addition to their highly sexualized identities, which can be noted by
just looking at their wardrobes.
The Angels had to compromise between their strength and their identity
as women. This compromise is what
defined “warrior women in thongs” during the nineties. As Douglas states: “Warrior women were
both transgressive and conformist.
They fought like Jackie Chan but cried over romantic betrayal or injury
done to others; they were physically dominating yet caring,” (99).
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